It is known to fabricate a fuel rail assembly for a V-type internal combustion engine from two injection-molded main fuel tubes, one for each bank of cylinders, and to convey fuel from one tube to the other through a formed metal crossover tube. Examples of fuel rails are shown in a number of commonly assigned patents. Various forms of retention clips, brackets, etc. are used to connect the various fuel handling components together in fluid-tight fashion. Typically O-ring seals are used to seal the connections.
External packaging constraints impose limitations on engine compartments of automotive vehicles, and they can impact the fuel rail assembly. For example the available vertical space may be limited, necessitating that the fuel rail assembly be as vertically compact as possible. Cost of fabrication is also a consideration, and it is important that a fuel rail assembly be designed for cost-effective fabrication.
The present invention relates to a fuel rail assembly that possesses a number of novel and advantageous features, including: joints for connecting tubes such as crossover, inlet, and return tubes, to the plastic fuel tubes; retainer clips for retaining various fuel handling components in sockets formed in the plastic fuel tubes, such as retaining a fuel pressure regulator in a plastic cup of a fuel tube; the construction of various plastic sockets in a fuel tube, such as the cups for receiving the fuel injectors. Other novel features will appear in the following detailed disclosure of a presently preferred embodiment.
The disclosure includes drawings that depict a presently preferred embodiment of the invention according to the best mode contemplated at this time for carrying out the invention.